Formula

The beach volleyball competition will consist of two (2) events: the men’s tournament, which will be conducted from August 6-18 2016 (13 days), and the women’s tournament, which will be conducted from August 6-17 2016 (12 days).

Each event will involve a total of 54 matches, and will consist of a preliminary round, a lucky-loser round and a single elimination phase.

The competitions will begin with the preliminary round, for which the 24 teams will be divided into six (6) pools of four (4) teams each. Seedings and pool allocations will be determined by the drawing of lots, upon the definition of the qualified teams. This draw will be conducted by the FIVB according to their regulations no later than one (1) week before the start of the competition.

The first two (2) ranked teams from each pool, and the best two (2) teams that rank third (3rd) in their respective pools, will advance automatically to the final phase.

The four (4) remaining third (3rd)-ranked teams in each pool will play a two (2)-match lucky loser round; the two (2) winning teams in the lucky loser round will also qualify for the final phase, making a total of 16 teams.

The final phase will be conducted according to a single-elimination format, with the seedings carried out in accordance with the FIVB regulations. The eight (8) winning teams in the round of 16 will qualify for the quarter-finals, and the four (4) winning teams in the quarterfinals will qualify for the semifinals. The two (2) winners of the semifinals will play for the gold and silver medals, and the losers of the semifinals will play for the bronze medal.